Switch-stand construction.



M. L. R. MORROW.

SWITCH STAND CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATlON FILED JAN. I3. 1915.

1,17 6,592. Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

2 SHETSSHEET l.

FIG. 1.

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1,176,592. Patented Mar. 21,1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2. N

THE COLUMBIA PLAYJIOGR'APH co., WASHINGTON, D. c

MELMUTH L. R. MORROW, 0F KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SWITCH-STAND CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed January 13, 1915.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELMUTH L. R. MOR- now, a citizen of the United States, residing at Knoxville, in the county of Knox and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switch- Stand Construction; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to switch stands and the connecting rods between the switch stands and the movable rail of a switch.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a switch stand wherein the pull upon the movable rail is direct, in a straight line, eliminating the ordinary type of sidewise or crank pull which is now commonly employed for the movement of the switch or movable rail in a railway switch.

Another object of this invention is to construct a novel form of rod for connecting the switch stand to the pivoted rail for operating the latter upon movement of the stand, and to so construct this rod that the same may be easily disconnected when desired, but which will be efliciently prevented from accidental disconnection.

With the foregoing and other objects in view this invention consists in such novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which,-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the switch stand, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the base of the stand, Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View through the switch stand showing the connecting rod and a fragment of the movable rail of the switch, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan partially in section of the connection rod, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevation view of the connecting rod.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l designates the switch stand construction as an entirety, which includes an outer protective housing 2, a vertical switch rod 3, which has an ordinary type of signaling Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Serial No. 2,074.

mechanism 4 mounted upon the upper end thereof, and which has an actuating rod 5 rigidly connected thereto a short distance above the upper end of the housing 2. The rod 5 is constructed of two pieces or bars 6 and 7, the latter of which is pivotally connected at 8 to the horizontal bar 6 and is provided for extending in a vertical plane and attachment to a catch mechanism 9, for locking the handle, for preventing malicious tampering therewith.

The housing 2 is mounted upon the upper surface of a supporting casing 10, which casing is in turn supported by a platform 11. The vertical switch rod 3 extends into the supporting casing or base 10, and has a crank portion 3 formed thereon which is connected to a gear 13. The gear 13 is positioned a short distance upwardly from the upper surface of the platform 11, and rotates on the pin 3 which is carried by the platform 11. The peripheral teeth of the gear 13 mesh with the rack teeth 14 formed upon one edge of a bar 15. The bar 15 is slidably mounted for horizontal sliding within the supporting casing 10, and it projects outwardly therefrom, toward the railway track along side of which it is mounted. The outer end of the bar 15 is reduced in thickness, as is shown at 16, and is provided for seating within the space 17 formed between the spaced arms 18 and 19 of the bar 20. The bar 20 is connected to the movable rail 21 of the switch construction, so that upon the sliding movement of the bar 15 by the rotation of the gear 13, the movable rail 21 will be moved into or out of engagement with the ordinary rail 22 of the railway track.

The arms 18 and 19 have a cross bar '23 secured thereto and extending from one bar to the other, a short distance inwardly from their outer ends. The cross bar 23 has an extension 24 formed upon and depending from the under surface thereof, to which eX- tension is connected a tongue 25. The tongue 25 is shown in the drawings as formed integral with the extension 24 and extending rearwardly therefrom, having its free end enlarged, as is shown at 26. The tongue 25 is positioned intermediate of the top and bottom edges of the arms 18 and 19, and it is provided for seating in the recess 27 which is formed in the reduced end 16 of the bar 15. The recess 27 extends longitudinally within the reduced end 16, and extends upwardly, communicating with the upper edge of the reduced end, forming a tongue 28, which extends inwardly over the forward end of the recess, as is clearly iown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The bar 15 is provided with facial recesses 29 formed in the sides thereof and extending rearwardly from the terminal of the reduced end 16. he recesses 29 extend downwardly from the upper edge of the bar, through substantially one-half the width of the bar, and they are provided for receiving tongues 30, which extend longitudinally from the ends of the arms 18 and 19. The ends of the bars 18 and 19, which are positioned below the tongues 30, are inclined, and are provided for abutting engagement with the inclined forward ends 31 of the bar 15, so as to form a firm connection between the bars 20 and 15, which may be readily broken by moving the bar 15 to the position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 of the drawings, for disconnecting the two bars when it is so desired.

The rack teeth 14 are formed so that their outer ends are flush with the edge of the bar 15, and the shoulders formed on the bar 15 at the ends of the rack teeth, will form a stop for limiting the longitudinal slidable movement of the bar 15.

The supporting casing 10 is provided with door openings formed in its opposite sides and in alinement with each other, which openings are normally held closed by doors 40 and 41. The doors 40 and 41 have transversely extending cars 42 formed upon the upper corners of their corresponding ends, which abut transversely extending ears 43 formed upon the casing 10. The ears 42 and 43 are provided with alining openings through which pins 44 are inserted for holding the doors in a closed position. The ends of the doors 40 and 41 opposite to the ends upon which the ears 42 are formed, are seated in vertical grooves 45 formed in the edges of the door openings, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The doors40 and 41 are provided with openings 46 extending therethrough, through which openings the bar 15 extends.

In the operation of the improved switch stand and connecting rod heretofore described: when it is desired to move the movable switch rail 21, the switch stand is rotated through the medium of the handle or lever 5 which in turn rotates the gear 13 and moves the bar 15 longitudinally,through the meshing engagement of the peripheral teeth of the gear 18 with the rack teeth 14, for moving the movable switch rail 21 into or cut of engagement with the main rail 22.

lVhen it is desired to disconnect the bars 15 and 20. the doors 40 and 41 are removed and the bar 15 is moved vertically so that the teeth 14 will be out of mesh with the gear 13. The bar 15 is constructed of material of sufficient flexibility to permit the upward movement of the bar. After the teeth 14 are out of mesh with the gear 18, the bar 15 is swung about as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and moved longitudinally until it is disconnected from the bar 20. The necessary movement of the bar 15 is permitted by the removal of the doors 40 and 41.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings the advantages of construction and of the method of operation of the improved switch stand construction will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains and, while in the foregoing description, the principle of the operation of this invention has been described, together with various features of construction, it is to be understood that certain minor features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of what is claimed.

What is claimed is 1. In a switch stand structure, the combination with a vertical standard, of a gear carried by the lower end of said standard, a rack bar meshing with said gear for moving said bar longitudinally upon rotary movement of said gear, said rack bar having its outer end reduced in thickness, a second bar connected to said reduced end and to the movable rail of a switch for moving said movable rail upon movement of said bar.

2. In a switch stand structure, a vertical rotatable switch rod, a gear carried by the lower end of said switch rod and rotatable by the rotation of the rod, a rack bar meshing with said gear, said rack bar having its outer end reduced and provided with a longitudinally extending slot, said slot communicating with the edge of said rack bar, a second bar having its end bifurcated for forming spaced arms, said reduced end of said rack bar adapted for detachable seating between said spaced arms, said second named bar being connected to the movable rail of a switch.

3. In a switch stand structure, a vertically rotatable switch rod, a gear carried by the lower end of said switch rod and rotatable by the rotation of said rod, a supporting housing for said switch rod, a bar slidably carried by said supporting housing, said bar having rack teeth formed on one side thereof throughout a section of its length, said rack teeth meshing with said gear, the shoulders formed at the terminals of said rack teeth forming stops for limiting the longitudinal movement of said bar, the outer end of said bar being reduced and provided with a recess formed therein, a tongue formed integrally with said reduced end and extending over a part of the length of said recess, a second bar having its end bifurcated for forming spaced arms, a crosspiece connecting said arms, a tongue formed integrally With said cross-piece and extending longitudinally between said arms, said tongue adapted for seating in said recess or detachably connecting said first named bar and said second bar, said second bar being detachably connected to the movable rail of a switch.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

MELMUTH L. R. MORROW.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL THARPE, J. R. STONE.

Cogies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

